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Topic: What line of work are you in?
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Larry Arpin
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 953
From: Sunland, CA, USA
Registered: Dec 2006
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posted December 21, 2009 06:05 PM
I belong to an elite force called THE FILM POLICE. We have some of the harshest punishment. Base scratches are a misdemeanor with a possible parole, but emulsion scratches are a felony and you can get up to 3 years. Destroying film, 20 years to life. While incarcerated you are placed in a dark room and fed the worst kind of food, popcorn, coke, an occasional hot dog, with flicks and bonbons. We have yet to execute anyone, but be careful, we're out there.
But seriously I started optical printing in 1980, then in July 2003 it finally dried up for me, went to school for digital work for 9 months and now working for a digital intermediate company. Like my optical days, I still work on low budget features with an occasional big feature along the way. Before optical printing I drove school bus.
[ December 21, 2009, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: Larry Arpin ]
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Martin Jones
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1269
From: Thetford , Norfolk,England
Registered: May 2008
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posted December 22, 2009 03:50 AM
Like most married men, and probably all "retired and married" men I work for the wife...i.e. I do as I am told!
But joking apart, I have been in the past a wireless technician in the Army, part-time unpaid cinema projectionist, radar Test Engineer with EMI, Test Equipment Maintenance Technician with one of the first UK transistor manufacturers, Head of Electrical and Barometric Standards in an Aircraft Instrumentation factory,
Sales Engineer for Precision Measuring equipment,and, finally, a self-employed Radio and TV Service Engineer, Aerial System Installer, and Retailer.
Paul, if you're prepared to move to Devon, there's a nice house in six acres of woodland with its own dis-used narrow gauge railway: used to run on a commercial basis as a tourist attraction! Can't offer you work on extensions; just finished my own (got that wrong,; just finished one for the wife!).
Martin
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Retired TV Service Engineer
Ongoing interest in Telecine....
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Keith Ashfield
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 997
From: U.K.
Registered: Dec 2006
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posted December 25, 2009 12:57 PM
In view of all the previous posts on this topic, with comments from members like Larry,Joe and Osi, and their involvement within the Film and Entertainment Industry, I feel that I should make my meagre contribution.
I finished my school education in 1967, when the final bell rang and the headmaster said,
“Right, get out!”
It was hoped that I would follow in my fathers’ footsteps, but this proved to be impossible as he wore bigger shoes than me and had a longer stride.
I embarked upon a five-year apprenticeship and became a mechanical engineer. However, I knew, deep inside that this was not the career for which I was destined.I wanted to be “in the Movies” and the roles that I wanted were “bit parts”. I placed adverts in trade magazines and eventually received an invitation for an audition.
I was successful in achieving my first role in movies – I was to play John-Claude Van Dammes’ backside. As it happened, this was not the role that it was “cracked up to be”, but it was a start. I was in the “industry” at last.
My next role was in the sci-fi movie “Predator” in which I played the role of Carl Weathers severed arm. At the end of a gruelling “shoot”, the cast and crew gave me a “big hand” for my performance.
Because of my inaugural role with JCVD, word reached the director Richard Donner, who asked me to take on the role of Mel Gibson’s “rear end”. I know what your thinking – there seems to be a pattern forming here, but everyone has to “start at the bottom”. After appearing in the “Lethal Weapon” movies, Mel moved into directing “Braveheart”, with myself “following behind”.
It was during the making of this epic that my admiration for Mr.Gibson diminished somewhat. Despite my protestations that I was more than willing to do my own stunts, he insisted on wearing silk frilly underpants, during his performance. His “excuse” was that the plaid kilt was “too rough” and he was not prepared to “go commando!” I was sure that William Wallace, and every self respecting Scotsman, would be appalled. I vowed, following this debacle, that the only way for me from now on, was “up”. Little did I know about the future?
My agent rang and told me that I had the chance to be in a musical called “Copacabana”. The role would be that of Barry Manilow’s nose. He said that this was a part “not to be sniffed at” and at least it was a step in the right direction. The film however, was not a great success.
Following this, things were about to get “hard”. “Bit parts” were more difficult to get and in order to pay the bills; I had to resort to “lowering my sights” and entered the “Porn” business. I was elected to become a “member” in the "Big John" Holmes stunt team.This was a most unpleasant experience. The job was full of uncertainties – not knowing whether you were “coming or going”, getting “in and out of sticky situations” and at the end of the day there was the possibility of being “pulled out” completely at the end of your performance.
Fortunately, things were about to take to a turn for the better, in more ways than one. I managed to get the coveted role as Jessica Rabbits “Left Boob”. Director Robert Zemeckies said the job would have it’s “ups and down” at times, but I would find the experience “uplifting”. It did of course have its drawbacks – the possibility of getting Myxomatosis from that idiotic rabbit and my constant cries of
“Will you be careful with those teeth?”
The good part about the job was that I met my future wife Pam, who was playing the role of Jessica’s “Right Boob”. We fell in love immediately and got married at the end of the shoot. You could say we have been “bosom buddies” ever since.
Pam retired from “the business”, and we had a daughter. I managed to support my family by getting the role I was born to play – the part of 007 Roger Moore’s eyebrow.
At last I had reached the top and the words of my white haired old mother rang in my ears –
“See son, I told you that, one day, you would get a head”.
We saw the world together; Sir Roger and I, and now we are both retired from the movie business. Sir Roger has his U.N.I.C.E.F. work to occupy his time and I have returned to the humdrum life of a company director.
I have to say that the roles in the movies were sometimes a “little hard” but ultimately “uplifting”. The physical training regimes that I had to maintain in order to fulfil the role of “The Eyebrow” have taken their toll on my body. All those “push-ups” and “press-ups” have played havoc with my spine.
There have, of course, been attempts at luring me back onto the screen with offers of "bit parts" in C.S.I Las Vegas and C.S.I. New York. but I didn't have the "guts" for the challenge anymore. Besides, most of the roles are absolutely "offal".
“Was it all worth it?” I hear you ask.
Of course it was! If it were not for the fact that I have, during my previous years, been an absolute arsehole, a bit of a dick and a big soft tit, I would not have met the “love of my life”.
We now sit down together, in our twilight years, and watch our memories unfold on the “Silver Screen” in glorious Super 8mm. We have the facility, should we feel vain enough, to pause the DVD and to gaze in wonderment, at the “sweet little gem” of a performance to which, until now, only we were privy to.
So the next time, dear reader, you see an “Arse” on the screen, ask yourself this simple question –
“Is that a fellow 8mm Forum member?” ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
[ December 25, 2009, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Keith Ashfield ]
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"We'll find 'em in the end, I promise you. We'll find 'em. Just as sure as a turnin' of the earth".
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Dino Everette
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1535
From: Long Beach, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2008
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posted December 26, 2009 02:39 AM
Since we are talking about work, I thought it might be fun to show that my love of the small gauge carries over to work, by inserting a photo of my desk/work bench in the photo you can see I have an Ercsam Senior M.30 9.5mm projector and my Elmo AP-8, there is an Elmo ST-1200 HD under the desk, so if I get an urge I can watch any format at work. The box next to the elmo has the reg 8mm feature Saga of Gosta Berling that I was watching reel by reel at lunch the week I shot the foto..
Not sure why the pic is so murky but up on the wall there is a 1922 framed stock certificate from Pathe Baby, an original 1903 Edison poster for a film show just weeks before The Great Train Robbery, and some other silent film ephemera.
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
OH and in terms of working in the industry - I thought the thread was about our current jobs, but I should have bragged a little more since I was once the toast of Hollywood back in the 1990's with my friend Colin Malone, we had this ridiculous show on cable (that also aired on SKY over in the UK) called Colin's sleazy friends and we had everyone you can think on from the music and comedy world, I have even played myself in feature films. I eventually quit the show because we kept gettign offers to act and i had no real desire to do it, and it was interfering with my bands' touring schedule.. Here is a youtube clip of us with Jack Black and Kyle from Tenacious D
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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"
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Lars-Goran Ahlm
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 205
From: Åmål, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2010
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posted January 14, 2010 03:40 PM
Hi everybody, I am sort of new here (just joined but have read your topics on a nearly daily basis for a year now) and thought this would be a good place to present myself and make my first appearance.
For 17 years I was a cinema projectionist but then left the busines, but are now back on a irregular basis, as I for the last five years have been moonlighting now and then when the regular projectionist wants to have a breake. (There is only one cinema where I live)
Otherwise I now work at a museum (right place, since I will officially become a "museumpiece" this autum) (I hit the big five-o). And I meet lots of people from all over the world during the summer. Not wanting to brag, but one day last summer I had to use all my language skills, as I not only had to have conversations in my native language but also in English, German and French, I was really totally mentally drained at the end of that day.
As film collecting go, I have some 35 features and lots of shorts and trailers on super 8, a modest collection of two features and five shorts on 16mm. On 35mm I have 15 features, about 15-20 shorts, a couple of hours worth of adverts and about 25-30 plastic 600 meter cans filled with trailers. I once calculated that it would take som eight hours to watch all trailers.
And just this monday (january 11) I received something you could say I had been waiting for for the last 25 years: a Elmo GS1200.
I also have a Elmo GS800 and a ST600D, and also a Fumeo 9119 that is in desperat need of repair.
On 16mm I have two old Siemens 2000 and two Elmo 16CL optical and magnetic, and lastly a Eiki Super Slim Slotload.
Unfortunately I don't have a 35mm projector, but as cinemas are starting to convert to digital (the world is coming to an end) the positive side of this is that it probably will be easy to get hold of projectors nobody wants any more. So I am hopefull to have one in a not to distant future.
Well enough about me for now.
When I have had time to test the GS1200 thoroughly (only tested with a couple of reels so far) I am going to let you now why I think it was a real bargain at €999,95 + 100 for freight from Germany to Sweden.
Hope you don't think this was to OT, but it is my first post ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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"The trouble with these international affairs is that they attract foreigners"
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Lars-Goran Ahlm
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 205
From: Åmål, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2010
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posted January 15, 2010 04:24 AM
Why did the post appear twice, I only submitted once? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Rob,
yes it is that Åmål. Moodyson is not from here, if he was he would have known that this town is actually a anomaly among youngsters. In other small places about 75% of all teenagers want to leave and move to a big city, while the rest want to stay, but here it is the opposit, 25% want to leave and 75% want to stay. And that is quite unique.
I have heard from people that work in the local job centre in town that it have sparked a saying in that community. When anyone refuses to relocate to a other city in order to get a job, the people at the job centres say that person have a "åmål syndrome".
As for the film, I am probably one of a dwindlig group that actually newer have seen it!!
But it has really made some impact, and greatly increased the amount of visitors from around the world. About five years ago we had a visitor at the museum that came from Sydney, Australia. He attended regular showings in Sydney of Swedish films that are shown in original language whitout subtitles, I have forgot who arranges these. (Maybe someone on this forum from "down under" knows?) And through this he had learned Swedish. Since F***ing Åmål was one of the films he really liked, he just had to visit when he was in Sweden. He was acctually staying in Trolhättan, that is situated some 100 kilometres to the south of Åmål. This is where F***ing Åmål acctually was filmed. There is a big area in that town assigned for filmproduction, and several well known movies have been done there. The most known are probably "Dancer in the Dark" and "Dogville". And the area of town where this is located is (unofficially) called "Trollywood"
But there has been films made in Åmål. In 1978-79 a film/TV series of "Charlotte Löwensköld" was partially filmed here, based on the two last books written by Selma Lagerlöf. And most notably the major part of "Ronja Rövardotter" (1984) after the novel of Astrid Lindgren, was shot in the surroundings of Åmål. I had the pleasure to run the dailies for the crew and cast at the cinema during this period, and then we were part of the world premiere. At that first run we showed it 25 times, on 12 of these there was over 300 visitors and the screening vith the least visitors had no less than 99 people attending. All in all there was about 5.500 people that saw it on initial release. That is really good as there was approximately 10.000 people living here then.
But once again I digress an starts to become longwinded.
(hope this is not a sign of how all my postings will be)
[ November 13, 2016, 10:12 AM: Message edited by: Douglas Meltzer ]
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"The trouble with these international affairs is that they attract foreigners"
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left school as soon as I was 15 back in 1967 for my first full time job as a store boy for a Ford car dealership at a place called Greenock in Scotland, when I was 16 I wanted to get an apprentiship as a marine engineer but it was not to be. Served my apprentiship as a motor mechanic instead, immigrated out to NZ on my own in 1973, continued to work as a motor mechanic for places like Avis, got the chance to make the move to general aviation employed as an aircraft engineer in 1976 that took me through to 1986 next job was in the airline industry working shiftwork on many types of aircraft until 1997 when the engineering base closed down and everyone including myself was made redundant. I was very lucky to be offered another job once again on aircraft "Ansett NZ" was there two years until they closed down and made everyone redundant, "getting to be a bad habit" funny thing though within a few weeks they phoned and asked me back for a few months work.. which I did. I would have to say that all the people I have worked with since I left school have been really good and I do consider myself very lucky indeed. From 2000 to the present I am employed as a full time projectionist, at times I do miss not working with my tools many of which go back to 1960s one such Snap-on socket set I got from an american who worked on the Holy Loch Submarine base I fixed his car and he got me a really nice socket set so I guess I owe the american tax-payer on that one. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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